Seatbelts in commercial jets and other aircraft are typically attached to anchor points on opposite sides of the seat frame. A conventional system for attaching seatbelts to anchor points uses a shackle and hook assembly. In this system, a shackle is bolted to each side of the seat frame, and a hook is attached to each end of the seatbelt by a loop of web. The seatbelt is then attached to the seat frame by clipping each of the hooks to one of the shackles, and inserting a cotter pin through a locking element on each of the hooks to prevent the hooks from inadvertently disengaging from the shackles in use.
The commercial aviation industry is constantly striving to reduce aircraft weight and increase fuel economy. A typical shackle and hook assembly weighs approximately 65-70 grams, which results in a total weight of 130-140 grams for the two assemblies required per seat. The negative impact of this weight on fuel economy increases with the number of passenger seats. The commercial aviation industry also tends to replace and refurbish seatbelts on a regular basis. To replace or refurbish a conventional seatbelt attached with a shackle and hook assembly, the cotter pin must first be removed from the hook before the belt can be unclipped from the shackle.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus for attaching seatbelts to anchor points that weighed less than conventional shackle and hook systems, and required less time and effort to replace or refurbish than conventional shackle and hook systems.